Kate Mosse | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/kate-mosse
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My hero: Walter Potter by Kate Mossehttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/24/my-hero-walter-potter-by-kate-mosse
<p>Whether guinea pigs playing a cricket match or kittens dressed in black tie at a wedding, Walter Potter had a wonderful way of telling stories with his taxidermy</p><ul><li> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2013/sep/13/curious-world-walter-potter-pictures-taxidermist-victorian">The curious world of Walter Potter – in pictures</a></li></ul><p>Walter Potter was a self-taught, Victorian taxidermist who created an extraordinary museum of narrative, whimsical taxidermy that became famous all over the world. He was born – and lived his entire life – in the modest Sussex village of Bramber, a few miles north of Brighton. As a boy, he loved nature and wildlife. From manuals (and a trip to the Great Exhibition in 1851) he taught himself to skin, preserve and stuff the creatures brought to him by local farmers and family friends: cats, foxes, rats, frogs, his own pet canary.</p><p>But Potter stands out because he didn’t simply preserve the creatures in his care, rather he told stories: his tableaux were unique, retellings in fur and feathers of nursery rhymes or folktales: <em>The Death and Burial of Cock Robin</em>, with all the birds of the air a-sighing and a-sobbing; <em>The Kittens’ Wedding,</em> with each feline guest dressed in black tie or white dress; the <em>Guinea Pigs’ Cricket Match and Band</em>, the score forever frozen at 189 for 7, and the squirrels playing cards and smoking cigars in <em>The Upper Ten</em>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/24/my-hero-walter-potter-by-kate-mosse">Continue reading...</a>BooksCultureKate MosseCraftPetsFri, 24 Oct 2014 15:59:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/24/my-hero-walter-potter-by-kate-mossePhotograph: AlamyWalter Potter’s stuffed guinea pigs play miniature instruments. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyWalter Potter’s stuffed guinea pigs play miniature instruments. Photograph: AlamyKate Mosse2014-10-24T15:59:04ZNovelist Kate Mosse tries taxidermy: ‘I found the smell overwhelming’http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/17/novelist-kate-mosse-taxidermy-smell-overwhelming
<p>When writing The Taxidermist’s Daughter, the author thought she should have a go; as a vegetarian, she found it a challenge</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/17/stuff-animals-taxidermy-course">A day with the taxidermy course at Barts Pathology Museum</a></li><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2014/oct/17/learning-how-to-be-a-taxidermist-in-pictures">Learning how to be a taxidermist – in pictures</a></li></ul><p>Taxidermy classes are back with a vengeance. This important British craft of the 19th century, loved by the Victorians with their obsession for death and parlour decorations, fell out of favour in the 20th century. Now it’s back in fashion again – but why?</p><p>When I began researching my latest novel, I was astonished to realise how popular taxidermy had become. Most of the taxidermists I quizzed were young women. Many had come out of art schools (where there are more girls than boys), inspired by artists such as Damien Hirst and Polly Morgan. Today, “ethical taxidermy” is practised – whereby only animals who have died or been killed for other reasons are used. This is not the world of the Victorian hunter, shooting big game or trapping exotic birds wholesale.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/17/novelist-kate-mosse-taxidermy-smell-overwhelming">Continue reading...</a>FictionKate MosseCultureBooksFri, 17 Oct 2014 09:10:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/17/novelist-kate-mosse-taxidermy-smell-overwhelmingPhotograph: Teri PengilleyKate Mosse, author of The Taxidermist’s Daughter Photograph: Teri PengilleyPhotograph: Teri PengilleyKate Mosse, author of The Taxidermist’s Daughter Photograph: Teri PengilleyKate Mosse2014-10-17T09:10:46ZThe Taxidermist's Daughter review – Kate Mosse's ghoulish murder yarnhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/04/the-taxidermists-daughter-kate-mosse-review-novel
This lyrical fable of skinning, disembowelling and stuffing is a&nbsp;pleasurable jeu d'esprit<p>Visiting Salisbury Museum, I found myself eyeballing the last great bustard in Victorian England, shot down by a bird-scarer with a marble in 1871. The bustard's succulent innards had been consumed at a grand dinner hosted by the museum director, then it was stuffed and put in a glass case, where it's been ever since. Reading Kate Mosse's darkly lucid fable of skinning and disembowelling and stuffing, the bustard's arrested flight returned to haunt me.</p><p><em>The Taxidermist's Daughter</em> is a jeu d'esprit in which ghosts and ghoulish patriarchal secrets, estranged female psyches and tumultuous bird-life coexist in a compulsively readable yarn with elements of folklore and beast fable. In folk tale the Corvidae family – crows, magpies, jackdaws, rooks – act as messengers and agents of justice. Here &quot;the jackdaws were watching, silhouetted against the dusk sky&quot;, witnessing the crimes of human predators. The novel is a cabinet of curiosities, a tale of sexual predation and female revenge. Frankly, it's a cock and bull story, but so pleasurable is Mosse's storytelling brio that the reader is willingly borne along.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/04/the-taxidermists-daughter-kate-mosse-review-novel">Continue reading...</a>Kate MosseCrime fictionFictionBooksCultureSat, 04 Oct 2014 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/04/the-taxidermists-daughter-kate-mosse-review-novelTeri PengilleyExceptionally lyrical … Kate Mosse. Photograph: Teri PengilleyTeri PengilleyExceptionally lyrical … Kate Mosse. Photograph: Teri PengilleyStevie Davies2014-10-04T07:00:00ZOriginal Observer photography: August 2014http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2014/sep/06/original-observer-photography-august-2014
<p>From actress Liv Tyler in New York, to artists Gilbert and George in London’s east end, to the grim fight against the Ebola virus in the streets of Monrovia, we showcase the best photography commissioned by the Observer in August</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2014/sep/06/original-observer-photography-august-2014">Continue reading...</a>PhotographyArt and designCultureJackie ChanDavid MilibandFashionGilbert & GeorgeFergus HendersonLife and styleRachel CuskGary NevilleSky SportsKate MosseIan McEwanSat, 06 Sep 2014 10:00:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2014/sep/06/original-observer-photography-august-2014Photograph: Mike McGregor for the ObserverSharon Van Etten photographed in NYC Photograph: Mike McGregor for the ObserverPhotograph: Mike McGregor for the ObserverSharon Van Etten photographed in NYC Photograph: Mike McGregor for the ObserverGreg Whitmore2014-09-06T10:00:16ZKate Mosse: my skill is storytelling, not literary fictionhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/30/kate-mosse-my-skill-is-storytelling
The bestselling author explains how, through creativity and connecting with readers, novelists can still thrive in a digital age<p>Ever since the millennium, the e-revolution, plus the credit crunch, has sponsored all kinds of apocalyptic predictions about books, with regular bad news from the digital frontline. In America, even bestselling authors such as Malcolm Gladwell have taken to YouTube to denounce Big Brother, aka Amazon. In Britain, book-selling is said to be on the rocks, libraries doomed, the ebook all-conquering, with the Visigoths of online selling storming through Waterstone's.</p><p>Earnings are down and contracts scarce, putting careers in crisis and livelihoods at risk. In 2013 the median income of the professional writer was about &pound;11,000, well below the &pound;16,850 which the Joseph Rowntree Foundation considers a minimum standard of living.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/30/kate-mosse-my-skill-is-storytelling">Continue reading...</a>Kate MosseWomen's prize for fictionWomen's prize for fiction 2013BooksFictionAwards and prizesUK newsWill SelfSat, 30 Aug 2014 22:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/30/kate-mosse-my-skill-is-storytellingAndy Hall/ObserverKate Mosse pictured in the Covent Garden Hotel, London. Photograph: Andy Hall for the ObserverAndy Hall/ObserverKate Mosse pictured in the Covent Garden Hotel, London. Photograph: Andy Hall for the ObserverRobert McCrum2014-08-30T22:30:00ZPlaywright Dawn King wins National Theatre award for Foxfinderhttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/dec/06/dawn-king-foxfinder-wins-royal-national-theatre-playwright-award
Judges describe the play about a political scapegoat as 'beautifully crafted and a skilful blend of symbol and realism'<p>Dawn King has won the inaugural Royal <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/national-theatre" title="">National Theatre</a> Foundation (RNTF) Playwright award for her play <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/dec/05/foxfinder-review" title="">Foxfinder</a>.</p><p>A rural thriller that serves as political metaphor about our need to scapegoat, Foxfinder received its premiere at the Finborough theatre in 2011, when the Guardian's <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/dec/05/foxfinder-review" title="">Michael Billington dubbed it</a> &quot;the most compelling new work I have seen this year&quot; and &quot;an arresting and individual work that haunts the mind long after you've seen it&quot; .</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/dec/06/dawn-king-foxfinder-wins-royal-national-theatre-playwright-award">Continue reading...</a>TheatreAwards and prizesStageCultureNational TheatreKate MosseFri, 06 Dec 2013 13:28:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/dec/06/dawn-king-foxfinder-wins-royal-national-theatre-playwright-awardTristram Kenton/.Kirsty Besterman (Judith) and Gyuri Sarossy (Samuel) in Dawn King's award-winning play, Foxfinder. Photograph: Tristram KentonTristram Kenton/.Kirsty Besterman (Judith) and Gyuri Sarossy (Samuel) in Dawn King's award-winning play, Foxfinder. Photograph: Tristram KentonMatt Trueman2013-12-06T13:28:00ZRichard &amp; Judy book club looks for new bestsellerhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/03/richard-judy-book-club-itv3
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan begin search for budding author as former producer launches rival book club on ITV3<p>The battle of the autumn book clubs is about to commence as Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan unveil a search for a new bestseller, promising a publishing deal worth &pound;50,000, and their former television producer Amanda Ross kicks off her latest book club format on ITV3.</p><p>High-profile book clubs have been big business for UK publishers since the book club feature on the Ross-produced Richard &amp; Judy show was launched in 2004. Choices such as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/data/book/fiction/9780330457729/the-lovely-bones" title="">The Lovely Bones</a> by Alice Sebold stormed the bestseller lists, while <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/aug/13/featuresreviews.guardianreview18" title="">Labyrinth</a> by Kate Mosse sold 1.3m copies after being lauded on the show by Carol Thatcher and Bettany Hughes. Critics coined the phrase &quot;the Richard &amp; Judy effect&quot; to describe the programme's power to boost sales, which echoed the success of the similar books-on-the-sofa slot on US hit television show Oprah.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/03/richard-judy-book-club-itv3">Continue reading...</a>Crime fictionJudy FinniganRichard MadeleyFictionITV channelKate MosseBooksCultureMediaTue, 03 Sep 2013 15:56:34 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/03/richard-judy-book-club-itv3Jonathan Hordle/RexStill smiling after all these years … Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley launch their autumn book club. Photograph: Jonathan Hordle/RexJonathan Hordle/RexStill smiling after all these years … Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley launch their autumn book club. Photograph: Jonathan Hordle/RexLiz Bury2013-09-03T15:56:34ZQuotas for women in parliament could 'effect real change', authors sayhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/aug/20/quotas-women-parliament-authors-edinburgh-book-festival
Authors including Kate Mosse tell the Edinburgh book festival that quotas could address 'dire' gender balance in Westminster<p>Quotas should be introduced to increase the numbers of women in parliament and public life to address the &quot;dire&quot; gender balance in Westminster, authors have told the Edinburgh international book festival.</p><p>Kamila Shamsie, the novelist, and Kate Mosse, the author and founder of the Women's Prize for Fiction, argued that quotas for women in parliament, though according to Mosse &quot;a blunt tool&quot;, could &quot;effect real change&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/aug/20/quotas-women-parliament-authors-edinburgh-book-festival">Continue reading...</a>Women in politicsEdinburgh international book festivalKate MosseGenderFeminismWomenWomen's prize for fictionAwards and prizesPakistanEgyptBooksPoliticsUK newsWorld newsTue, 20 Aug 2013 17:16:23 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/aug/20/quotas-women-parliament-authors-edinburgh-book-festivalMurdo MacleodKate Mosse, Lisa Appignanesi and Kamila Shamsie before speaking at the Edinburgh international book festival. Photograph: Murdo MacleodMurdo MacleodKate Mosse, Lisa Appignanesi and Kamila Shamsie before speaking at the Edinburgh international book festival. Photograph: Murdo MacleodCharlotte Higgins, chief arts writer2013-08-20T17:16:23ZGuardian Books podcast: Edinburgh International Book Festival previewhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2013/aug/09/book-festival-edinburgh-podcast
What's on offer at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for 2013 with director Nick Barley: new books and their authors; series of discussion about trust, fantasy and women in the 21st century; and graphic novels. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2013/aug/09/book-festival-edinburgh-podcast">Continue reading...</a>Edinburgh international book festivalIain BanksMargaret AtwoodNeil GaimanKate MosseBooksCultureUK newsFri, 09 Aug 2013 12:40:38 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2013/aug/09/book-festival-edinburgh-podcastMurdo MacLeod/GuardianPresented by Claire Armitstead and produced by Tim Maby2013-08-09T12:40:38ZCitadel by Kate Mosse – reviewhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/19/citadel-kate-mosse-review
The story of resistance fighters in Carcasonne is characteristically interwoven with that of a fourth-century monk bearing a Gnostic text and lashings of berets and bicycles<p>If you choose this as your holiday reading, make sure you're having more than a long weekend away. The final volume of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/oct/12/kate-mosse-life-in-writing" title="">Kate Mosse's</a> Languedoc Trilogy is nigh on 1,000 pages long, a&nbsp;suitably millennial length for her trademark long view of French history. The focus is the second world war, but the story of resistance fighters in Carcasonne is characteristically interwoven with that of a fourth-century monk bearing a Gnostic text, while the wizard-like figure of Audric Baillard links all three volumes. Mosse plunges into the dark and bloody years of Vichy France, subjecting her largely female cast to terrible pain and anguish. She is impressively knowledgeable about her adopted corner of&nbsp;France, and you can't fault her evocation of the &quot;Frenchness&quot; we Anglo-Saxons love. The unwavering sincerity of tone, maintained over hundreds of pages, can occasionally start to feel like a grown-up school story, with lashings of berets and bicycles, yet it's probably this very quality that accounts for Mosse's huge commercial success.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/19/citadel-kate-mosse-review">Continue reading...</a>Kate MosseFictionBooksCulturePaperbacksFri, 19 Jul 2013 17:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/19/citadel-kate-mosse-reviewRay Roberts/PRHoliday setting … the medieval city of Carcasonne. Photograph: Ray RobertsRay Roberts/PRHoliday setting … the medieval city of Carcasonne. Photograph: Ray RobertsJane Housham2013-07-19T17:00:00ZCitadel by Kate Mosse – reviewhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jun/23/kate-mosse-citadel-languedoc-review
The conclusion to Kate Mosse's Languedoc trilogy is long and sometimes jarring, but will satisfy fans<p>After the huge success of the first two instalments of her Languedoc trilogy, Kate Mosse's <em>Citadel</em> was always going to sell well. Mosse, who co-founded the Orange prize for fiction in 1996, received an OBE in the recent Queen's birthday honours, which has cemented her reputation as a champion of popular literature. Set in southern France during the second world war, <em>Citadel </em>centres on Sandrine Vidal, a headstrong 18-year-old, and her friends, who belong to a group of female resistance fighters called Citadel.</p><p>The wartime narrative of the group's dramatic deeds and relationships is interwoven with the story of Arinius, a fourth-century monk, and his journey to hide the Codex, a sacred document with the power to summon an invincible army of the dead. Those familiar with <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/jul/31/fiction.features4" title=""><em>Labyrinth</em></a>, the first novel in Mosse's series, will note the return of Audric Baillard, who enlists the help of Sandrine to find the Codex before the Germans and their sympathisers&nbsp;do.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jun/23/kate-mosse-citadel-languedoc-review">Continue reading...</a>Kate MosseFictionPaperbacksBooksCultureSun, 23 Jun 2013 15:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jun/23/kate-mosse-citadel-languedoc-reviewMartin Godwin/ObserverKate Mosse OBE, her reputation as a champion of popular fiction cemented. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the ObserverMartin Godwin/ObserverKate Mosse OBE, her reputation as a champion of popular fiction cemented. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the ObserverFrances&nbsp;Perraudin2013-06-23T15:00:03ZKate Mosse on the Baileys women's prize for fiction: 'women's creativity matters'http://www.theguardian.com/books/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jun/03/kate-mosse-baileys-womens-prize-fiction
The founder of the groundbreaking literary award says it 'sells books like no other prize' and won't be stopping any time soon. This year it has a new sponsor – and an incredibly strong shortlist<p>She has just arrived back from a busy book tour on the other side of the world, but author Kate Mosse sounds buoyant. The women's prize for fiction – the literary award she co-founded in the mid-90s, in response to an all-male Booker prize shortlist – <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jun/03/baileys-womens-prize-for-fiction" title="">has found a new sponsor</a>. The prize was supported by Orange until 2012, then kept afloat this year by individuals including Cherie Booth and Martha Lane Fox, and is now entering a three-year partnership with drinks brand Baileys.</p><p>The full plans won't be announced until autumn, but the company's ambition for the prize seems to have been the deciding factor for Mosse. She and the other organisers met with more than 20 possible backers, and ended up with a number to choose from. They were looking for one who would &quot;take the prize to another level, so a company that was ambitious and had a global reach,&quot; she says.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jun/03/kate-mosse-baileys-womens-prize-fiction">Continue reading...</a>Women's prize for fiction 2013FictionAwards and prizesBooksWomen's prize for fictionWomenLife and styleKate MosseBaileys women's prize for fiction 2014Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:37:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jun/03/kate-mosse-baileys-womens-prize-fictionMartin Godwin for the GuardianKate Mosse: 'It is a celebration of women's achievements, so why would you stop?' Photograph: Martin Godwin for the GuardianMartin Godwin for the GuardianKate Mosse: 'It is a celebration of women's achievements, so why would you stop?' Photograph: Martin Godwin for the GuardianKira Cochrane2013-06-03T17:37:16ZDoctor Who; The Voice; Life's Too Short; The Village – TV reviewhttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/apr/01/doctor-who-voice-lifes-short
New assistant Clara adds fizz to the Tardis in the splendidly scary Doctor Who adventure The Bells of St John<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rryzz/Doctor_Who_Series_7_Part_2_The_Bells_of_Saint_John/">Doctor Who on iPlayer</a><br />• <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p012j33j/The_Voice_UK_Series_2_Blind_Auditions_1/">The Voice on iPlayer</a><br />• <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01rr97w/Lifes_Too_Short_2013_Special/">Life's Too Short on iPlayer</a><br />• <a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/labyrinth/4od">Labyrinth on 4OD</a><br />• <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0162bq2/The_Village_Episode_1/">The Village on iPlayer</a><p>So much interesting TV, so little space. Quick! <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0" title=""><strong>Doctor Who </strong>(BBC1, Saturday)</a> then, and a chance for the Doctor's partnership with new wing-woman Clara to bed in. Very promising, I think. I mean, Amy Pond will always occupy a special place in my heart, but Jenna-Louise Coleman brings something else to the Tardis; she's less ditzy, posher, smarter, more of an equal. Girl power! There's electricity between them too, crackle crackle.</p><p>This is a lovely episode, stuffed full of wit and Steven Moffatry. More one for an occasional sci-fier than a diehard Whovian perhaps – no monsters, but plenty to be scared of. Wi-Fi carries the threat: there's something in it, harvesting human life, extracting souls – terrifying viewing for anyone who suffers paranoid delusions I&nbsp;imagine.There's a relevance about it, it's not too far-fetched, most of it happens in present-day London – I like the present, I recognise it, there's the Shard. And here, as Clara says, is a perfect definition of Twitter: &quot;Human souls, trapped like flies in the world wide web, stuck for ever, crying out for&nbsp;help …&quot; Moffat left Twitter; I know because I tried to find him.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/apr/01/doctor-who-voice-lifes-short">Continue reading...</a>Doctor WhoMatt SmithThe VoiceTelevisionTelevision & radioRicky GervaisCultureKate MosseMon, 01 Apr 2013 09:36:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/apr/01/doctor-who-voice-lifes-shortAdrian Rogers/BBCSomething in the air … Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman tackle a Wi-Fi threat in Doctor Who/ Photograph: Adrian Rogers/BBCAdrian Rogers/BBCSomething in the air … Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman tackle a Wi-Fi threat in Doctor Who/ Photograph: Adrian Rogers/BBCSam Wollaston2013-04-01T09:36:00ZLabyrinth is silly but enjoyable cobblershttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/mar/30/labyrinth-silly-but-enjoyable-cobblers
Channel 4's new medieval romp is all about bums and historical misrepresentation<p>France, 1209, and the doughty fiefdom of Carcassonne is besieged by bastards. &quot;They seek the secret of the Grail,&quot; gasps carbuncular nobleman Bertrand, as swarms of rhubarbing crusaders prepare to storm his ramparts. Daughter Ala&iuml;s (Jessica Brown Findlay) is confused. &quot;The Holy Grail?&quot; she whispers, slowly. &quot;The cup that Christ drank from on the night of the Last Supper?&quot; &quot;Yes,&quot; replies Papa, Frenchly. &quot;And we must defend it (<em>thundering cellos; extreme close up of period-specific scowl</em>) &quot; … WITH OUR LIVES.&quot;</p><p>Inflate thy balloons and unsheathe thy mint Viscounts, for here is <strong>Labyrinth</strong> (<em>Saturday, 9pm, Channel 4</em>) to remind us of the unique joy of the shonkily realised international costume epic. A two-part German-South African co-production based on the bestselling Kate Mosse novel, it's a window-rattling potboiler bubbling with ancient religious conspiracies, comely medieval wenches, comely 21st-century academics, fogbanks of swirly past-times skulduggery, evil pharmaceutical CEOs in 10 denier tights, priapic chevaliers and, verily, a script that does dance a merry jig upon the very phizog of credibility. It is, 'ow you say, cobblers.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/mar/30/labyrinth-silly-but-enjoyable-cobblers">Continue reading...</a>TelevisionTelevision & radioCultureFantasyDramaKate MosseSat, 30 Mar 2013 06:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/mar/30/labyrinth-silly-but-enjoyable-cobblersPRLabyrinthPRLabyrinthSarah Dempster2013-03-30T06:00:00ZEL James, JK Rowling, Hilary Mantel … the women who dominated publishing in 2012http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/30/women-who-dominated-publishing-2012
An outpouring of erotica, a historic Booker double win, and a self-publishing revolution: women have changed the world of books this year<p>Four years ago a dissatisfied TV executive was inspired by <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/stephenie-meyer" title="">Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels</a> to start writing steamy online fan fiction about the leading characters in which sparkly-skinned vampire Edward and bold virgin Bella were made over as an entrepreneur and a college graduate. If the narrative of the first Twilight books was powered by heavy-breathing abstinence and the revelation that good vampires wait until marriage, online forums were where readers could let rip.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/30/women-who-dominated-publishing-2012">Continue reading...</a>PublishingFictionBooksCultureFifty Shades of GreyHilary MantelJK RowlingJulia DonaldsonKate MosseBooker prizeAwards and prizesEL JamesBooker prize 2012Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:55:17 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/30/women-who-dominated-publishing-2012Emma Peios/WireImageKate Mosse … From Orange to the Women's prize for fiction. Photograph: Emma Peios/WireImageMurdo MacleodJulia Donaldson … brought a welcome sense of fun to her focus on the library cause. Photograph: Murdo MacleodPRThe game changers … six women who dominated publishing in 2012PRThe game changers … six women who dominated publishing in 2012Guardian Staff2012-11-30T22:55:17ZThis week's new eventshttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/nov/24/this-weeks-new-events
Floating Christmas Market | Cambridge Winter Wordfest | Ice Concerts<p>Chucking Chrimbo commercialism deftly overboard, this buoyant yuletide market offers everything from hats to herbal medicines, vegan cakes to vintage dresses. Soak up seasonal satire from illustrator Simon Warner or imbibe some narrowboat Nabokov aboard the capital's only bookshop barge, Word On The Water. Evening acts will include carols, fire-eating and unicycling – plus Edward Lear poetry to help you dance by the light of the moon.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/nov/24/this-weeks-new-events">Continue reading...</a>CultureTravelKate MosseTony BennNick RobinsonJack StrawAndrew MarrRose TremainSat, 24 Nov 2012 00:04:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/nov/24/this-weeks-new-eventsSophie MinchilliWord On The Water Photograph: Sophie MinchilliSophie MinchilliWord On The Water Photograph: Sophie MinchilliColette Bernhardt &amp; Katrina Dixon2012-11-24T00:04:02ZFifty Shades of Grey nominated for National Book awardhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/13/fifty-shades-of-grey-national-book-award
EL James's bestselling erotic novel to go up against Kate Mosse's Citadel for popular fiction book of the year gong<p>She has broken record after record, racked up sales of over 4m copies and almost single-handedly helped drag the book business out of the doldrums. And now EL James's erotic fiction hit Fifty Shades of Grey has been nominated for a book award.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/13/fifty-shades-of-grey-national-book-award">Continue reading...</a>Fifty Shades of GreyKate MosseFictionBooksAwards and prizesCultureEL JamesTue, 13 Nov 2012 16:08:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/13/fifty-shades-of-grey-national-book-awardJeff Blackler/Rex FeaturesTie on the prize … copies of EL James's Fifty Shades of Grey, which is up for a National Book award. Photograph: Jeff Blackler/Rex FeaturesJeff Blackler/Rex FeaturesTie on the prize … copies of EL James's Fifty Shades of Grey, which is up for a National Book award. Photograph: Jeff Blackler/Rex FeaturesAlison Flood2012-11-13T16:08:14ZTwitter fiction: Kate Mossehttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/09/twitter-fiction-kate-mosse
The author and broadcaster takes up our Twitter-based challenge to come up with a story in 140 characters or fewer<p>Blood on her hand. The wood, wet.&nbsp;A Christian memory or glimpse&nbsp;of what is to come? Wipe it&nbsp;away and wait</p><p>• <a href="http://www.guardianbookshop.co.uk/BerteShopWeb/viewProduct.do?ISBN=9781409136590" title="">Citadel</a>, by Kate Mosse, is published by Orion</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/09/twitter-fiction-kate-mosse">Continue reading...</a>Kate MosseOriginal writingFictionBooksCultureTwitterMediaInternetBloggingTechnologyFri, 09 Nov 2012 23:00:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/09/twitter-fiction-kate-mosseMartin GodwinKate Mosse: The writer from Chichester pens a story in no more than 140 characters. Photograph: Martin GodwinMartin GodwinKate Mosse: The writer from Chichester pens a story in no more than 140 characters. Photograph: Martin GodwinKate Mosse2012-11-09T23:00:08ZCitadel by Kate Mosse – reviewhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/04/citadel-kate-mosse-review
Kate Mosse concludes her literary adventure trilogy in real style<p>The complex history of the Languedoc has proved fertile territory for Kate Mosse in her recent trilogy of adventure novels, beginning with the phenomenally successful <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/jul/31/fiction.features4" title=""><em>Labyrinth</em></a> in 2005, shortly to be a mini-series, and now reaching its conclusion in <em>Citadel</em>.</p><p><em>Labyrinth</em> was concerned with the <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/12976/Albigensian-Crusade" title="">Albigensian crusade</a> and the destruction of the Cathar heresy in the 13th century, weaving historical truth with the legends of the holy grail that flourished after the final massacre of the Cathars at their fortress&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.catharcastles.info/montsegur.php?key=montsegur" title="">Monts&eacute;gur</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/04/citadel-kate-mosse-review">Continue reading...</a>Kate MosseFantasyFictionBooksCultureSun, 04 Nov 2012 00:04:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/04/citadel-kate-mosse-reviewMurdo Macleod/Murdo Macleod'She has a knack for a skirmish': Kate Mosse, whose multi-million-selling Languedoc trilogy bows out in style with Citadel. Photograph: Murdo MacleodMurdo Macleod/Murdo Macleod'She has a knack for a skirmish': Kate Mosse, whose multi-million-selling Languedoc trilogy bows out in style with Citadel. Photograph: Murdo MacleodStephanie Merritt2012-11-04T00:04:01ZHow prize that used to be Orange was saved – and rebrandedhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/13/orange-prize-wfp-books
Now the Women's Prize for Fiction has been launched, Kate Mosse tells how an award so important to writers and the industry was saved<p>Orange, a word that has no rhyme, has become the literary prize that defies gravity. Strictly speaking, it should no longer exist. Orange switched off its sponsorship in May.</p><p>With no Plan B in sight, the board running the prize, including Martha Lane Fox, the UK digital champion, made predictably defiant noises about keeping calm and carrying on, but this is a tough commercial climate. Was the game up for the English-speaking world's premier prize for women's writing? Last week we got the answer.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/13/orange-prize-wfp-books">Continue reading...</a>Women's prize for fictionAwards and prizesWomenCultureBooksUK newsFictionKate MosseLife and styleWomen's prize for fiction 2013Sat, 13 Oct 2012 14:41:27 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/13/orange-prize-wfp-booksRay Tang / Rex Features/Ray Tang / Rex FeaturesKate Mosse, chair of the Women's Prize for Fiction. Photograph: Ray Tang / Rex FeaturesRay Tang / Rex Features/Ray Tang / Rex FeaturesKate Mosse, chair of the Women's Prize for Fiction. Photograph: Ray Tang / Rex FeaturesRobert McCrum2012-10-13T14:41:27Z